Egg carton



E. L. FlTTS EGG CARTON 2 Shees-Sheet Filed March 1 l924 NVENTOR BY ki ATTORNEYS Jan. 6. 1925.

E. L. PITTS EGQCARTQN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1 1924.

R m m V W ATTORNEYS Ww/@Xxx WITNESSES Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

UNITED TENT OFFICE.

EDWARD L. PITTS, OF RATON, NEW MEXICO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM A. i ROI'IR, 0F RATON, NEW MEXICO.

EGG CARTON.

Application led March l1, 1924. Serial No. 696,265.

To cZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that lI, EDWARD L. Prr'rs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Raton, in the county of Colfaxand State of New Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Egg Cartons, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to egg cartons and more particularly to one intended for individual shipments of eggs through the mail, my object being the provision of a carton which may be readily and quickly set up and collapsed as well as one which will be simple and inexpensive and may be formed in its entirety from a one-piece blank without the necessity of lextra fastening means.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings which illustrate my present invention and form a part of this specification,

Figure l is a perspective view illustrating my improved carton complete and set up ready for shipment,

VFigure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 2 2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the carton of Figure l is formed,

Figure 4 is a section taken horizontally through the carton, illustrating a slight modification,

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 5 5 of Figure 4,l

Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line 6 6 of Figure 4, and

Figure 7 is a plan view ofthe blank from which the carton of Figures 4 to 6 inclusive is formed.

Referring now to these figures my invention proposes a carton for eggs of the general rectangular form indicated at 10 in Figure 1, the carton being of flattened elon-V gated shape adapted to support therein two parallel longitudinal series of eggs 11 as indicated in Figure 2 and having a bottom 12, top 13, front and rear sides 14 and 15,

ends 16 and a cover 17, the latter formed integral with and being a continuation of the rear side wall 15 and arranged to cover the major portion of the front wall 14 by means of its front flap 18 in the closed position, said front flap 18 being cut away to provide a central extension 19 from the sides of which lateral locking tongues 2O project. To receive these tongues the forward side wall 14 has spaced slots 21.

The carton thus constituted is Vformed from, a blank 22 shown in Figure 3 of which the forward portion is bent upwardly and inwardly along the lines 23 and 24 so as to form between these lines the front vwall 14, that section lofy the forward portion of the blank between line 24 and the line 25 form# ing the top 13 of the carton and havin a terminal flap 26 vbeyond the line 25 which is turned downwardly against thel inner surface of the rear side wall 15 as seen in Figure 2, to which said flap may be secured if it is so desired.

The rear portion of the blank is then bent upwardly and forwardly along lines 27- and 28, that portion of the blank between lines 23 and 27 forming the bottom 12 of the carton and that portion .thereof between lines 27 and 28 forming the rear sidewall 15. The rear portion of the carton beyond line -28 forms the cover 17 and its flap-18, the latter being bent downwardly along the line 29. n The ends 16 Vare formed by lateral extensions 30 of the blank projecting' from the opposite sides of that section thereof forming the top 13 and after the forward section of the blank has been bent upwardly and inwardly as previously described, the extensions 30 are bent downwardly along lines 31 coinciding with the side edges of the blank and arethen bent inwardlyalong lines 32 so'as to form extension flaps 33lon the ends 16 adaptedto projectinto the carton upon the upper inner surface of the bottom 12 it being noted that these extensions 33 are provided with spaced openings 34 for a purpose which will be presently described.

That section of the blank which forms the top 13 of the carton is provided with a plurality of rectangular areas each of which areas has cross slits as at 35 and curved cor-4 ner slits as at 36 so as to constitute the required number of egg receiving and holding apertures by simply pressing the eggs downwardly through the slitted portions of the top so that the tongues of material between the slits extend downwardly along the sides of the eggs as indicated at 37 in Figures 2, 5 and 6 and press against and yieldingly hold the eggs in upright position, the top 13 being spaced vertically from the base or bottom 12 a distance substantially less than 'Y doing the lower pointed ends of the eggs at the ends of the carton enter' the openings 34 of the end flaps 33 and thus lock the ends 16 in place with the cooperation of the cover 17 which holds the eggs downwardly against the bottom 12 at all times by virtue of its passage over the larger ends of the eggs and its before-described locking connection with the front wall 14.

It thus becomes obvious that the erection ofthe cartonmay be easily and. quickly' accomplishec't and upon removal of the` ,eggs therefrom., the carton may be` just as quickly unfolded or collapsed for return shipment ina flatwise folded state.

If found necessary, a lengthwise reinforcing web orwall 38 may be utilized centrally within the carton, with a lower flap 39 attached as seen in Figures 4 and centrally along the upper inner surface of the base or bottom l2. In this form, as shown in Figures 4 tol 7 inclusive the ends of the central reinforcing web or wall 38 which in its upright effective position extends between the base 12 and the top 13, is terminatedat its ends in spaced relation to the endsof the carton and the turned-in Vend flaps 331a with their eggreceiving apertures 3451L `arecentrally slotted as at 40 so that they are thus adapted to straddle the ends of the reinforcing web or wall 38 and brace the latter in its upright position. Gtherwise than the features just mentioned, that is the central lengthwise reinforcing web or wall 38 and the slotting of the end iiaps, the form of the invention shown in Figures 4 to 7 inclusive is the same as that illustrated in Figures l, 2 and 3 and may be plainly seen from a comparison of the folded cartons in Figures 2 and 5 and the blanks in Figures 3 and 7 although it is to be noted from a comparison of Figures 2 and 5 that instead of .a forward end flap Qlcent downwardly along the inner surface of the rear wall 15, the top 13 may as seen in Figure 5 be provided with a terminal flap 41 along its free edge bent upwardly along the inner surface of the rear wall 15 between the top 13 and the cover 17.

I claim:

1. An egg carton having its body provided with top, bottom, side and end walls, and also having a cover forming a continuation of the rear side wall. thereof and provided with a terminal` flapahaving aninterlocking connection with the front wall of the body, the said top wall of the body having slitted portions' forming egg receiving apertures and the said end walls being lateralcontinuations of the said top wall and having inturned flaps overlying the end portions of the bottoml and provided with spaced openings to receive therethrough portions of the eggs placed throughthe receiving4 apertures of the vtopiV whereby to lock they end walls and their flapsin place when the carton is filled with eggs.

2. An egg carton having its body provided with top, bottom, sidel and end walls, and also having a cover forminga continuation of the rear side wall thereof and provided with a terminal flap havingan interlocking connection with the front wall of the body, the said top wall ofthe body having slitted portions forming egg receiving aperturesvand the said end wallsy being lateral continuations of the said top wall and having inturned flaps overlying the end portions ofthe bottom', and a centrally disposed lengthwise reinforcing web foldably connected to the bottom and upstanding into engagement with; the; top, the said flaps of the vend walls being slotted to straddle the ends of the said reinforcing web whereby tobrace the latter in upright position.

3. An egg carton having its body provided with top, bottom, side and end walls and having a cover forming a continuation of one of the side walls and adapted to overlie the top wall in spaced relation thereto, said cover and the other side wall having relatively engaging locking means to hold the cover in place and said top wall having slitted portions forming egg receiving apertures and egg engaging tongues around the apertures, within which the eggs are held between the bottom wall and the said cover, the said end walls forming lateral continuations of the top wall of the body and having means extending within the carton and engageable bycertain of the eggs therein when filled to lock the end walls against displacement.

` EDWARD L. rirrs; 

